An aqueous reaction is studied at two temperatures
CHEMISTRY · Single correct · A Level · Chemistry · Kinetics · Kinetics
Problem
An aqueous reaction is studied at two temperatures. At 15∘C the experimentally determined rate constant is k=1.3×10−2Lmol−1s−1, whereas at 25∘C it is k=3.8×10−2Lmol−1s−1. Which of the following statements best accounts for the observed increase in k with temperature?
(a) Increasing the temperature lowers the activation energy, so k becomes larger.
(b) Because the equilibrium constant grows with temperature, and k is directly proportional to the equilibrium constant, k increases.
(c) A higher temperature means a greater fraction of reactant molecules has kinetic energy equal to or above the activation energy.
(d) Raising the temperature greatly increases the collision frequency between reactant molecules, giving a larger k.